Fire Emblem: The Tactician's Journey
by DarkHero12
Summary: Fire Emblem: When Lyn discovers Mark unconscious outside of her hut, they embark on a journey together that will shake the foundations of the world. Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or any of its characters. All rights belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems. Rated T: for violence and because I'm paranoid.
1. -Prologue 1: History Unveiled-

_-Prologue: History Unveiled-_

Once long ago, dragon and men coexisted. They shared a peace forged in wisdom, a peace that lasted many generations. All that was lost when mankind disrupted this balance in a sudden onslaught. Man fought dragon in a savage war that shook the foundation of their world. This war was called The Scouring. Defeated and humbled, dragons vanished from the realm. In time mankind rebuilt and spread his dominion across the land and on to the islands beyond. A millennium has passed since those dark days ended.


	2. -Prologue 2: A Girl from the Plains-

_-_ _Prologue 2: A Girl from the Plains-_  
(Mark)

He looked back at his old home one last time, wishing he could stay. But no he couldn't, this mission was too important, lives would be lost if he didn't leave. Hoping that he might one day return he began chanting the spell that would change his life forever.

" _Per hoc temporis spatio et ibit itinere, et novam vitam novam terram"_ he chanted. He began to cry as he recalled all that he would be leaving: his friends, his wife and child, but he couldn't afford to think back lest he change his mind. He continued chanting until a bright light engulfed him and took him to the new land.

* * *

(Lyndis)

She found him unconscious on the side of the road. Lyn had been hunting that day and was on her way back when she found a young man in robes she had never seen before. They were black with purple highlights and covered his entire body. He had hair that was so white it was almost silver. Not sure what to do she took him back to her hut when he didn't wake up by nightfall she decided to wait till morning before she tried to wake him up.

* * *

(Mark)

He woke up in a room with no one around and without memories in. He tried to remember who he was and how he got their but it just wasn't coming to him. He saw a bag next to him and looked around inside to see if he could discover anything about himself. He found a journal and began reading it, he started to remember some things but he knew there was still something missing that he couldn't quote put his finger on, he began reading some more when a young woman entered the room. She had long green hair and wore thin blue robes with dark yellow highlights. She looked very young, 16 at the oldest.

"Ah, your awake." she said when she saw him, "I found you unconscious by the road"

"Who are you?"

"I am Lyn of the Lorca tribe. You are safe now. Who are you? What is your name?"

"My name is Mark."

"Mark, what an odd sounding name... But pay me no mind. It is a good name. Where are you from? I've never seen robes like those before"

"I'm afraid I don't remember much about my past. When I woke up I only remembered my name from reading a journal in my bag." Suddenly they heard screaming from outside.

"I'll go see what's happening. Wait here for me." Lyn rushed out of the building then quickly came back in, "Bandits, they must have come down from the mountains. They're raiding the village. I...I have to stop them. Stay in here, Mark."

He didn't know much about himself, but he wasn't about to let her go alone. He looked in my bag and saw a sword shaped like a lightning bolt and a Thunder tome _I can use magic_ he thought to himself surprised at this revelation, then decided "No, I'm going with you" pulling out that strange blade, _a_ _levin sword_ , he remembered, and the Thunder tome out of his bag and stood up. "Plus, looking in my journal has shown that I'm somewhat of a tactician."

"Very well," she said "We'll go together."

Outside he saw the bandits she was talking about. It looked like there were only two of them, but he doubted that was all of them. The first bandit saw them and charged but before he could close half the distance Lyn had taken him out. Mark was taken aback because he never saw her move. When he had regained his composure he heard Lyn shout, "Mark behind you!" He turned around in time to see a bandit running at him, he opened my tome and yelled "Thunder!" Electricity surged through his fingertips and killed the bandit instantly his body twitching from being hit by that much power. Disturbed by that sight, Mark turned around to thank Lyn for the warning only to see that she was running to the leader of those bandits.

"Who do you think you are!" he yelled, "You think you can stand up to Batta the Beast!" By the time Mark had rushed to help Lyn, she had already defeated the so called "Batta the Beast".

"Good work, Mark." Lyn said to him.

"Thank for the warning back there."

"There's no need to thank me. I don't want you to get hurt."  
He looked at the sun and saw that it was setting, just how long had he been unconscious "It's getting late. We should head back."  
Back at Lyn's hut Mark decided to read that journal some more to see if he could discover more about his past. While reading he started having trouble keeping his eyes open, _how am I already tired, I just woke up_.  
"That fight must have taken a lot out of you," Lyn said noticing his weariness.  
"I guess so. Is it okay if I sleep here for tonight? I'm going to leave tomorrow to see if I can learn anything about my past."

"I have no issue with that." She said.

The next morning he started packing up his things when Lyn walked over to him and said, "Mark, there's something I want to ask you."  
"Okay, ask away."

"You said you were going to travel to find out about you past. Will you take me with you?"

"Shouldn't you ask your parents about this first?" Mark asked. He noticed tears welling up in her eyes and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"No, it's fine. It's just... My parents died six months ago. Bandits attacked and killed so many of my people. My father was our chieftain, and I wanted to help our people, but I am young and my people are old-fashioned, they would never follow a woman. No one would follow me... I sorry, I've been alone for so long... No, no more. I will shed no more tears" She said, wiping her eyes. "Thank you, I'm better now. Mark, I want, no I must become stronger so I can avenge my people, and yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't get stronger by just sitting here alone. Mark tell me that you'll let me travel with you."  
"Alright, you can come."  
"Thank you, Mark. We'll work better together, I know it. You'll be my master tactician, and I'll be your peerless warrior!" She said excitedly. And with that they set off, a strange pair on an even stranger journey.


	3. -Chapter 1: Footsteps of Fate-

_-Chapter1: Footsteps of Fate-_

(Mark)

Mark and his new companion Lyn decided that before they go anywhere else they should stop at Bulgar, the commercial center of Sacae.

"Mark," Lyn said with pride "we're here.

"Oh, my heart!" a distant voice cried, "What a dazzling vision of loveliness!" They turned around to see a young man, most likely a knight of some kind, in green armor coming toward them. He continued to say, "O beauteous one, would you not favor me with your name? Or better yet, your company?"

"Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?" Lyn asked, obviously not caring for what the young man said.

"I thought you'd never ask!" He said excitedly, as though he had never been able to keep a woman's attention for this long, "I am from Lycia. I hail from the Caelin canton, home to men of passion and fire."

"Shouldn't that be 'home to callow oafs with loose tongues'?" Lyn retorted. Mark stifled a laugh; this knight had no idea what he was getting into.

"Oh, your even more beauteous when your cruel," the young knight said.

Frustrated by the knight's persistence Lyn said, "Let's go, Mark. I have nothing more to say."

"Wait, please!" the young knight cried out, before losing them in the crowd.

* * *

(Kent)

After searching for a few minutes, Kent finally found his traveling companion Sain, trying to win over yet another girl with his "charm". The girl left, but not before Kent got a good look at her, she looked familiar He couldn't tell. "Sain!" he cried out "Hold your tongue!"

"Ah, Kent, my boon companion. Why so severe an expression?" Sain said, noticing his approaching friend.

"If your manner were more serious, I wouldn't have to be so severe. We still have a mission to complete."

"I know, but how could I remain silent in the presence of such beauty? It would have been discourteous."

"What do you know of courtesy?!"

"Excuse me," the girl from before said, "You're horses are blocking the road. Would you mind moving them?"

"Oh, of course, my apologies…" Kent said recognizing the girl.

"Thank you. You, at least seem honorable enough."

"Pardon me, have we met before? You seem familiar."

"Hey, no fair, Kent!" Sain called out, "I saw her first!"

Exasperated the girl said, "It's seems there are no decent men among Lycia's knights! Let's go Mark," She said to the person beside her, "I've run out of patience!" Then she took off.

"Wait, please! It's not like that!" When she didn't come back Kent yelled, "Sain, you lout!"

"Not like that? I thought you were-" Sain said before he was cut off by Kent.

"I am NOT you, Sain!" He yelled outraged. When he regained his composure he said "Come, we must follow her I suspect she might be…" He trailed off.

"Be what, our mission?" Sain asked to which Kent simply nodded his head and started riding after the girl, "You're joking! Hey wait!"

* * *

(Lyn)

Lyn was glad when the knights were out of sight. The nerve of them, acting as though women are just a toy to be played with. She hated when people acted like that. Suddenly she heard a rustling in the bushes. Mark did to, and must have seen something because he yelled, "Get down!" Lyn ducked just in time to narrowly avoid a thrown axe that came out of nowhere.

"Thanks for the warning." She whispered.

"Don't thank me yet." He replied grabbed a tome they had bought and yelled "Fire!" and blasted where the axe came from. The assailant must have moved because there was nobody there.

"Do you think it's those knights from town?"

"No, they wouldn't be able to move around freely enough to get clear of my spell in time." Then the man who must have been the attacker stepped forward

"Aren't you the pretty one" He said, "You're name is Lyndis is it not?"

"What did you call me? Who are you?"

"Such a waste, an absolute waste. Ah, the things I'll do for gold… Time to die darlin'. Come on out boys!" and with that six more men jumped out of the bushes. They were surrounded, Lyn wasn't sure they could fight their way out of this, when suddenly she heard horse hoofs beating against the ground, it was those knights from before. They killed the two brigands in the back before they could react.

The one in green yelled, "Such numbers against a girl, cowards every one of you!"

"You're those knights from…" Lyn said.

"We'll discuss that later. It appears these brigands seek to do you harm." The other knight wearing red armor that matched his companions said.

"Thanks for the insight. We never would have guessed." Mark muttered under his breath.

"Let us take care of them." The knight in red said.

"No, this is our fight. Stay out of it." Lyn snapped.

"Um, Lyn we could really use the help." Mark said.

Lyn knew he was right and said, "Fine, but stay out of my way."

"Are you done yet, because I want to just kill the girl and get my gold," the leader of the bandits said. "Good, attack!" and with that the battle began. It was a hard battle well, but they were finally able to defeat all of them but the leader, but not before the knight in green sustained an injury to his right arm.

"Accursed knights," the leader of the bandits said, "always getting into others' affairs." He then charged the group, he was much stronger than the previous bandits and they were already tired. Lyn finally saw an opening in his defenses though; whenever he swung his axe there was a split-second opening as he brought it back up. The next time he swung his axe at Lyn, she sidestepped and stabbed him in the chest before he could regain his balance.

"Blast," he said with his last breath, "there was only supposed to be a lone girl." The battle was finally over.

"Thank you for your help," Mark said to the knights.

"You needn't mention it." The knight in red replied.

"Yes thank you, now I believe you said you were going to share your story with me," Lyn said before they got to distracted.

"Yes," the knight in red said, "I am Kent, and my companion here is Sain. We have ventured from Caelin in Lycia, in search of someone. We come as messengers to the lady Madelyn, who had eloped with a nomad some 19 years ago."

"Madelyn?" Lyn asked confusedly as to why the knights were searching for someone with her mother's name.

"Yes," Kent continued, "our lord, the marquess of Caelin's only daughter. When he learned that his daughter would go with this nomad, he was heartbroken thinking his daughter was abandoning him. He eventually claimed that he had no daughter. Then six months ago we received a letter form Lady Madelyn, saying that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the plains of Sacae. The marquess was ecstatic to learn that he had a granddaughter of sixteen years. I remember the smile on his face when he announced that he'd suddenly became a grandfather. The girls name was Lyndis, named after her grandmother the marquess's wife."

"Lyndis," Lyn said quietly to herself.

Kent continued on, "That his granddaughter should bear that name thawed the marquess's heart. Now all he wants is to meet his daughter's family at least once. That is why we are here. Little did we know that a fortnight after she sent the letter she was killed. But all was not lost, for her daughter still lives alone on the plains, or so we'd heard when we arrived at Bulgar. I believe that you are lady Madelyn's daughter, the lady Lyndis."

"Why…why would you think that?" Lyn asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable." Kent explained.

"You knew my mother?" Lyn asked.

"No, I never met her, but there are portraits of her in Castle Caelin."

"To most of my tribe, I was Lyn, but when it was just me and my parents I was Lyndis. To think that I would here that name again, it's all so strange. I was alone in the world, and now I have a grandfather."

"I'm sorry to ruin the moment," Mark said, "but you said that only your parents called you Lyndis, then how did that brigand know your name?"

The two knights looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Lundgren,"

"Who?" Mark asked.

"The marquess's younger brother, everyone assumed that Lady Madelyn was gone for good, which would put Lundgren as heir for the marquess title." Kent replied.

"To be blunt, milady," Sain said, "your very existence is an obstacle to your granduncle's ambitions."

"That's absurd; I have no interest in inheriting any title."

"Unfortunately, your granduncle is not the kind of man to believe that," Sain continued, "I believe the attempts on your life will persist."

"Wh-what should I do then?"

"Come with us to Caelin," Kent suggested, "it's too dangerous to continue this way."

"I feel as though I have little choice. I will go with you to Caelin," she said, then she turned to Mark and said, "I'm sorry, this changes everything. What will you do now, Mark? You don't have to come. I know how important figuring out your past is to you."

"I'm coming with you of course; did you really have to ask? We're friends, I won't let you face this alone and as for figuring out my past, I may discover some things on this journey, so don't worry."

"Thank you, Mark. You have no idea what that means to me."

That night they made camp, Lyn noticed that Sain grimaced with pain when he sat down by the fire. "Have you not healed yourself from the previous battle?" She asked.

"Ah, I'm afraid I must have forgotten. I'm fine though, I wouldn't want you to wrinkle your beauteous face with worry for me."

Lyn sighed in exasperation and said, "Okay, I was going to give you a vulnerary but you seem fine so…"

"Wait, no, I'll take it, I'll take it!" everyone laughed as Lyn handed the bottle of vulnerary to him. He then poured the red liquid onto his wound and watched the large gash close up, leaving a small white scar.

"Well, I'm going to hit the hay early tonight. I want to see if I can find anything about myself in my journal."

"That reminds me," Kent said, "We don't know much about you."

"I'm afraid that I've lost all my memories. Everything I know about myself I found in my journal."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kent said quickly.

"It's alright," Mark responded, "Well, goodnight everyone." And with that he grabbed his journal, lay down, and started reading. Hoping to find something from his past.


	4. -Chapter 2: Sword of Spirits-

**AN:** I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I'm not sure why I didn't do this till now, anyways, thanks for the support for this series, and if you have any questions or suggestions don't be afraid to comment.

Now, To Battle!

* * *

 _-Chapter 2: Sword of Spirits-_

(Kent)

When Kent woke up the next morning, Lyn walked up to him and asked, "May we take a slight detour? There is a shrine to the east containing a sacred sword. The people of Sacae go there to pray before traveling."

"Are you sure that is wise, milady? There are assassins that are actively trying to kill you. We should take a direct route to avoid them and get to Caelin" Kent said.

"I for one," Mark said who had also just woken up, "have no problem with this. In fact it is likely that the assassins will be thrown off of our tail if we take a less direct route, as most of them are probably mercenaries that have little to no tracking skills."

"Maybe, but it may also give them time to catch up if they are skilled." Kent said in return.

"Then I suggest that we go through the Bern Mountains, we could easily lose them there."

"The mountains are full of bandits."

"Another reason they will not likely follow us through there. They will most likely think not to look there, or if they see that we are going through the mountains they will think that we will be killed by the bandits."

"Which is likely, the bandits in the mountains are ruthless killers!" Kent roared, when he calmed down he apologized, "I sorry, I shouldn't have yelled."

"I'm getting the feeling that there's more going on here than you're letting on." Mark said perceptively.

"And you'd be right." Kent said.

"Kent, are you sure?" Sain asked as his face paled.

"Yes, they deserve to know. Sain and I are childhood friends, we known each other longer than either of us can remember. We originally lived in a village in Laus, a territory known for its army. We became knights to follow in the footsteps of our fathers. One day while we were still just squires. We were given a training mission, to help protect some villagers in Kathelet from bandits. Our fathers came with us to help give some support both physically and morally. That knight when Sain and I were supposed to be on watch duty got distracted and bandits were able to sneak into the village. By the time we realized what had happened it was too late; bandits had already killed our fathers and ransacked the village. When we reported what happened," Kent's eyes began to fill with tears, "we were shamed and banished from Laus. Word must have spread because no one would take us in, not until we reached Caelin. The Marquess was kind enough to take us in when no one else would, and we been faithfully serving him since then. Now you understand why I want to be nowhere near those mountains. If I were to betray Marquess Caelin's trust by getting his granddaughter killed I could never forgive myself."

"I'm sorry, Kent, I never knew." Lyn said apologetically, "But I think it would be best if we risk it with the bandits, but first I still want to go to that alter."

Later when they arrived at the shrine Sain remarked, "How quaint."

"The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Etruria, but it's good to see that the ancient ways are still observed elsewhere."

Suddenly a woman ran to them screaming, "Help, Help, there are bandits in the shrine!"

"Calm down now, what happened."

"I saw bandits go into the shrine. They seem intent on stealing the sacred sword."

"What!?" Lyn cried, "We must stop them."

"Wait Lyn, we don't know enough about the situation. Rushing into a fight without a plan will get us killed." Mark brought up, "Being killed won't help anyone; we need to see if we can get any help."

"Your right." Lyn said, "There's a village nearby, let's go."

* * *

(Glass)

It was time. Finally after searching for so long, Glass had found a sword worthy of being wielded by him. He and his crew rushed into the shrine. He told some of his men to guard the front entrance so that none could disturb him. When he made it to the altar there was a priest in there.

"Stay where you are old man. And hold your tongue." He yelled at the priest.

"Threaten me as you will. I will not give up the Mani Katti. It is a divine blade under sacred protection. It cannot be removed from its place of rest."

"You're a fool old man. What good is a sword if you don't use it?"

"Use it? In combat? Sacrilege!"

"Sacrilege? I am Glass, the gods fear my name, my swordplay is peerless! And if I want this sword, than this sword I shall have." Glass yelled as he pushed aside the priest. "This is it," he said holding the blade, "It's more magnificent than I imagined. This sword was made for someone as skilled as me." When he tried to unsheathe the blade it wouldn't budge. "What is this?"

"The spirits of the blade have judged you unworthy. You have been found wanting. They have rejected you."

"What!? Listen to me you senile, old fool! If you value your own life, you'll get out of my sight! Curses, miserable spirits, I care nothing for you! I'll tear down this shrine stone by stone!

* * *

(Lyn)

"Did you discover anything? Lyn asked to her returned companions.

"There are bandits guarding the main entrance." Sain responded

"I didn't get any new information," Kent said with disappointment in his voice.

"There may be another way inside." Mark said, "We may be able to break through the walls of the shrine to surprise the enemy, if that's all right with you." he turned to Lyn.

"Yes," she replied, "the sword within the shrine that is more important."

"Alright then, Kent and Sain, I want you to go around to the front entrance and distract them, but don't overexert yourselves. Lyn and I will go make a new entrance in the side and surround them."

"Of course sir," Kent replied, "Let's go Sain." and with that they rode off.

"Sir, huh," Mark said to himself, "I think I like the sound of that."

"Come on, you," Lyn said to her friend, "we have a wall to break down."

"Alright," Mark said when they got to a weak enough section of the wall, "when I break down the wall the bandits will be confused for a few seconds. You need to use that time to take out as many of them as possible. On three, one, two, three, Fire!" he yelled blasting a hole in the wall. Like he said the bandits were confused at the sudden blast. Lyn was able to take two down before they came to their senses. She could see Kent and Sain fighting four more bandits at the entrance.

"I'll go help them!" Mark yelled to her over the sound of battle, "You go get the sword!"

"Right," she said in response. When she got to the altar of the Mani Katti she saw the man who must have been the leader of the bandits.

"Who do you think you are?! What chance do you think to have against me?!"

"I am Lyn of the Lorca tribe, and I will not let you take the Mani Katti!" she yelled in response. The man obviously knew what he was doing as he held his own against Lyn for several minutes until she finally found an opening. She slashed downward leaving a large gash across his leg, causing him to fall over where she was able to stab him through his chest finishing their battle. She rushed back to her friends to find that they had already finished the last of the bandits. When a priest came out of hiding and asked, "Your clothing, are you of the Lorca tribe?"

"Yes, I am Lyn the chieftain's daughter. Are you hurt sir?"

"Thanks to you I am unscathed. You have my gratitude."

"And the sword is it safe?"

"Yes, I have sealed away the sword for now. Until I remove my spell the sword cannot be drawn. Now as a token of my gratitude, I shall allow you to lay your hands upon the Mani Katti. Touch the blade and pray for a safe journey."

"Thank you," Lyn said as she went to touch the blade. When she did so a large flash filled the room. "What? Did— the sword, it's glowing," and it was. A strange yet soothing light was emanating from the blade.

"It's the power of the spirits," the priest said with glee, "They have looked into your soul and deemed you worthy to wield the Mani Katti."

"No, I can't, I couldn't," Lyn stammered.

"It is the sword's wish. If you require proof, draw the blade from its sheath." When she did the blade came out, glowing even brighter now.

"It came out effortlessly."

"I never dared to hope that I may meet the next wielder of the Mani Katti. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."

"My sword?"

"Yes, it is time for you to go now though. You face a great many ordeals. Grip this blade and meet your destiny head on."

"Yes… Yes sir." Lyn said with pride but also confusion in her voice. When they left the shrine, it was already sunset, so they decided to spend the night at the local inn. Lyn spent the entire time staring at the Mani Katti. "This is all so unbelievable." she finally spoke up, "Perhaps the most famous sword in Sacae, in my hands,"

"It's not that strange." Kent said in return, "In fact, many legends tell similar tales… special blades all over the land call out to their proper owners. And yet, when I saw you draw that blade, Lady Lyndis… I felt something extraordinary. That sword was waiting for you, you were meant to draw it."

"Stop it! I… I'm nothing special!"

"Think of it this way," Sain suggested, "Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hands right? Think of the Mani Katti as a blade that is only comfortable in your hands. Does that make it seem easier to accept?"

"It does feel right in my hands. A blade that only I can wield. That seems reasonable enough. I can understand that."

"Well, I hate to interrupt the moment," Mark said, "but if we're going to start traveling tomorrow, we need to get some shut eye."

"You're right Mark, goodnight."

* * *

(Mark)

Later that night, Mark woke up with a cold sweat. He had been having a dream, he couldn't remember much of the details, but he had seen a young woman his age with pink hair smiling as she dragged him along some hills, then the dream shifted to a young man with blue hair reaching out his arm to him in greeting. He was going to go back to sleep when he realized Sain was missing. Kent was right next to Mark in his bedroll in a position that was quite humorous, and Lyn was still in the bed (there had only been one bed which had been given to Lyn, so Mark, Kent, and Sain had been forced to sleep on the floor), but Sain was nowhere to be seen, until Mark heard someone outside, it was Sain practicing his lance techniques. When Mark went out there to speak with him, Sain saw and said, "Couldn't sleep either, huh."

"No, so what are you doing out here?"

"Practicing,"

"Yes, I can see that. Quick question, how are you able to focus so well in battle and be paying almost no attention to anything when there is a woman around."

"It's because I can't afford to let what happened at Kathelet to happen again. Kent didn't tell you the whole story. The reason we got distracted that night was because I went off to flirt with some village girls who had grown a liking to me, and Kent chased after me. And you know what happened next. It was my fault that we had to endure what we did. Kent to most of the blame when we retuned, saying that it was him who had gone out with the village girls and me who had chased after him. They beat him for that, a beating I should have received."

"Sain, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, me making mistakes that got my father killed, or the fact that Kent got punished instead of me. I've never even been able to get over my obsession with girls." Sain sighed, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound pessimistic. I'm going to head back to bed. Goodnight."

"Yeah, me too. Goodnight."


	5. -Chapter 3: Band of Mercenaries-

_-Chapter 3: Band of Mercenaries-_

(Florina)

Florina had been searching for days now. When she couldn't find Lyn at her hut she went to Bulgar, where she was informed that Lyn was traveling to Lycia. Florina wasn't told why she was going there of all places though, Lyn never enjoyed big cities, only going to Bulgar even, just to get supplies. But nevertheless she had left. Florina had asked around the village near the shrine of the Mani Katti, knowing Lyn would stop there, but Lyn was already gone. At this rate Florina would never be able to tell her the news. She noticed that her pegasus, Huey, was getting very worn out. The poor thing had been flying almost nonstop since they left the shrine, only stopping for food and water, and it was already evening. "It's okay girl, we'll land soon," it was then that Florina saw a nearby village with a creek running through it. It was perfect; Florina would have to land out of sight though, since pegasi were rare and likely to be stolen if left in the open. Florina landed her pegasus behind some bushes and when she got off she noticed that she had landed on top of someone. "Oh, I-I'm so sorry," she stammered quickly, "I-I didn't see you there. I'll be on my way now."

Before she could remount, the man she had landed on, who appeared to be a bandit, said, "Wait right there little lady. What are you going to do to apologize?"

"Hey, boss," said another man who appeared out of nowhere (Florina was getting very nervous at that point) "she's quite the catch ain't she?" referring to the pegasus who was backing away from the man, "We could get a pretty penny for 'er."

"Don't touch her!" Florina yelled at the thought of them selling Huey. More bandits were appearing surrounding the two.

"You just watch your mouth girlie," the leader of the bandits said.

"Do what you will with me, but let her go, please, I beg of you."

"'Let her go' now why would we do that, pegasi can only be found in Ilia, and even then they're heavily guarded. No, we're sellin' her. I could make some good coin off of you too," Florina, screamed as he tried to grab her and kicked him in a spot that she didn't realize was so painful for men as he instantly doubled over covering his injured body part. Then she ran before the other bandits could get her. "After her!" she heard the leader yell in a much higher voice than before, and she just kept running and running.

* * *

(Mark)

That morning, Mark, Lyn, Kent, and Sain were arriving at that village. The place was in shambles and many of the buildings were burnt down.

"The entire village, why doesn't the marquess do something to help these poor people?" Sain asked horrified by the sight.

"No, marquess holds power here," Lyn said sorrowfully, "It's either kill or be killed. My village was on the other side of the mountain. My people were…," Mark saw tears begin to well up in her eyes, "the Taliver bandits came at night, by morning I was the only survivor. They're soulless beasts. I will never forgive them, never! I will come back stronger… I will break their swords beneath me like a twig under a stallion's hooves. I will avenge my people. I will do everything in my power."

Then Sain spoke up, "When the time comes, take me with you."

"And me," Kent remarked.

"Kent, Sain, I-I…,"

"I will come as well," Mark said.

"Thank you all so much."

"Let's go, there may still be survivors,"

Eventually they got to a place of the village that was still livable, at least, it was not as broken down as the rest of the village, "Hello, is anyone there?" Mark asked at the gate.

"Leave us alone you thugs! We don't have any gold for you!" a voice from the other side of the gate yelled. Suddenly an arrow came out of nowhere and almost hit Mark,

"Archer! Everyone get down!" Mark yelled. And not a moment too soon, as soon as Lyn ducked down another arrow sprang up right where her head was.

"No, wait, we're not bandits! I am Lyn of the Lorca tribe. We mean you no harm!"

"Hold your fire, Wil!" a voice from the village cried, "I will see what is going on," suddenly the gates opened and a man who was probably in his mid40's stepped out. When he saw Lyn he said, "So, it's true. There are survivors."

"You heard what happened?"

"Everyone within 20 miles heard what happened. I'm just glad that there were survivors."

"I'm the only one left."

"I am sorry to hear that. Come, we do not have much but we can at least be hospitable."

"Thank you for your kindness," Mark said.

"It is the least we can do,"

"Hello," a young man who must have been Wil, since he had a bow on him, "I'm sorry about the misunderstanding. These folks took me in as one of their own, the least I could do in return is drive off bandits."

"It's okay," Mark replied, "I'd just rather not be shot at by you again, you're very good."

"Thank you,"

Mark turned to the other man and asked, "Do you mind if we stay here for the night? We've been traveling for a while now."

"Of course you're welcome here, but I'm afraid we do not have much to offer when it comes to being comfortable."

"We're fine with that, thank you again for your kindness."

Later Wil came up to the group and asked, "May I join you in your travels? I'm in need of money and as nice as these people are, they can hardly support themselves, let alone me."

"Yes, you would be very helpful."

"Thank you."

"Your welcome. While we're at it, I would like to test your skills. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, in fact, I know the perfect spot to do so. Follow me." Mark and the others followed (they said they wanted to see his skill as well), but before they could get to there, a young woman ran into them, literally, she and Mark collided, knocking both to the ground

"I-I'm s-so sorry," she stammered as they both got up. Now that Mark could get a good look at her, he saw that she had long, light purple hair, her clothes were white with some light blue armor that was meant to provide a little defense without sacrificing mobility, and she had this fragile look as if all it would take to take her down would be a light push.

"Florina, what are you doing here?!" Lyn asked.

Suddenly the girl (Florina) started hugging Lyn and sobbed, "I-I couldn't stop them Lyn, th-they took," that was all she could say before bursting into tears.

"Sh, it's okay," Lyn said, calming her friend, "Just take a deep breath and tell us what happened,"

Before she even got the chance to, they heard a voice yell, "There she is!" suddenly they were surrounded by bandits. One of them, who must been the leader, stepped forward and said, "This is not your affair, stay out of it. The girls mine, her and her flyin' mule," when he said this they heard a flapping noise and saw a brilliant white pegasus.

"Huey!" Florina cried

"Florina," Lyn asked calmly, "would you mind explaining to us what happened?"

Florina nodded her head and said, "W-when I heard that you had left, I started to follow you. Huey and I were going to land by the nearby creek, a-and I didn't see them, a-and…"

"Florina, did you land on them?"

"Y-yes."

"See," the bandit said, "She admits her fault, now hand 'er over,"

"Florina, did you apologize?" Lyn asked (Mark was surprised by how calm Lyn was at the moment)

"Yes,"

"And she said she is sorry, can't we just let this pass?"

"That ain't happening, this pegasus is gonna sell for a mountain of gold, and I could make quite a bit of coin off of the girl too," the bandit said.

"What?!" Lyn shouted.

"Well they're dead," Mark stated.

"That a threat, boy?" the brigand asked.

"No, I'm just stating the facts," he gestured to Lyn, "You've made her angry. You won't like her when she's angry," he whispered to Florina, "Here take this knife, me and the others are going to distract the bandits, you go free your pegasus," and with that Mark, Lyn, Kent, Sain, and Wil charged the bandits, but they were fighting 2 to 1. When it looked like they would be able to fight their way out of that mess, they heard hooves galloping and saw that Florina had successfully loosed her pegasus. That disoriented the bandits and gave Mark and the others the edge they needed in battle, being able to take many of the of the bandits out before they regained their composure, but then there were only three bandits left including the leader who had not joined the battle yet. The two remaining thugs were quickly finished, leaving just the leader. Suddenly, they heard a scream and saw that the leader had Florina cornered. She was holding her lance (which she had retrieved from her pegasus's saddlebag) in a shaky stance. The brigand whacked it out of her had with a single strike and began to raise his axe for the killing blow.

"No!" Mark yelled running to her aid, but he knew that he would be too late. Just as the brigand brought his axe down, Lyn appeared in front of Florina, sword raised to block the attack. She started moving so fast it looked like there were three of her for a moment. Two slash marks appeared in the brigand's chest and the Mani Katti stabbed through the brigand's heart.

"How…how," Mark started to ask, but had to stop short as Lyn fell forward unconscious. Mark rushed forward and was relieved when he found her pulse.

"Lady Lyndis!" Kent yelled.

"She's fine," Mark replied, "She's just unconscious, and no wonder, moving that fast shouldn't be possible. We need to let her rest."

"Hey, look what I found," Wil said holding a large bag filled with gold coins, "and there's more here too."

"That's great Wil," Mark replied coming over to see that there were multiple bags of gold coins, "This could really help the villagers. Come on guys, help us grab some bags, I'll grab Lyn,"

That night when Lyn finally woke up, she asked, "Wh-what happened?"

"You don't remember?"

"I remember… Florina!"

"I'm fine," Florina reassured, "thanks to you, but I'm more worried about you. You had us scared."

"I'm fine, thank you though."

"Lyn," Mark said, "You need to get rest. We all do."

That night Mark had another dream, he could remember this one more clearly when he woke up. He was in a forest with the same woman in his previous dream.

 _"You are hopeless when it comes to directions," she said in a joking manner. She had short pink hair and purple robes and a face that was round but had a point at her chin._

 _"I could have sworn this was the right way," Mark heard himself say, looking at a map._

 _"We'd better hurry; the crew will be waiting for us,"_

 _"Mommy, Daddy," a voice behind him said, he turned around to see a little girl around five years old; she had the same shade of hair that Mark did, but the same face as the other woman, "My legs are tired,"_

 _"Well then, I guess I'll have to carry you," he said as he picked the little girl up, "Stop it, Daddy!" she screamed giggling causing the other two to laugh,_

 _"Hey! Where are you guys!" they heard a voice yell in the distance._

 _"Over here! We're over here!" the woman yelled._

That was where the dream, because at that moment, Mark was shaken awake by Lyn.

"Wake up, Mark," she said, "We're getting an early start today,"

"Alright," Mark said blankly; that dream had given him a lot to think about.

"Oh, but one more thing," Florina said, "Lyn, I'm a pegasus knight now,"

"Really, that's amazing, Florina, but doesn't that require you join a band of mercenaries?"

"Yes,"

"And aren't most mercenaries men?"

"Y-yes,"

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Hey," Wil cut in, "I've got an idea, she could come with us; we're basically mercenaries at this point,"

This really got Florina's hopes up as se said excitedly, "Really, I could come with you Lyn?"

"Of course," Lyn said.

"Fantastic," Sain remarked.

"Oh, no, not again," Kent muttered.

"Oh, beauteous one," Sain continued, "Through all of yesterday's chaos, I don't think we were properly introduced. I am Sain, a knight of Caelin."

"Eek!" she screamed hiding behind Lyn, "S-stay away from me!"

"Oh, come on now, I won't hurt you," Sain said, starting to chase her, causing everyone to laugh. Mark felt as though he'd seen something like this before, but he just couldn't tell. This amnesia thing was really starting to annoy him. Like he was so close to unlocking his past, but it was just out of reach.


	6. -Chapter 4: In Occupation Shadow-

**AN:** Hello guys, I am finally back. Thank you for being so patient with me. I'm sorry I wasn't on time, but I am back now with the next chapter of the series.

Now, To Battle!

* * *

 _-Chapter 4: In Occupation's Shadow-_

(Mark)

The sun was beginning to set into the horizon as Mark and the others began looking for shelter that night. They stumbled upon a run-down fortress that looked like it had been abandoned for some time, to which Mark stated, "This should do."

"You must be joking," Sain said in disgust, "this mildew old fortress."

"The bandits keep everything in turmoil around here," Wil spoke up, "No one has time to worry for travelers like us."

"This will be fine," Lyn decided. The inside of the fortress was just as run-down as the outside. Mark noticed several holes in the wall that an archer could easily shoot through.

"Hello," a voice said from somewhere.

"Who's there?" Lyn asked, on edge from all the bandit attacks.

A young, small woman appeared through one of the hallways and said, "I… forgive my intrusion. My name is Natalie; I live in a village not far from here…" She started to walk towards them, but tripped and fell. Mark and Lyn helped her get back on her feet.

"Are you alright?" Lyn asked.

"I'm fine; I've had a disease that makes it hard for me to walk since childhood. I can't travel far, but it doesn't bother me much."

"What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"I'm looking for my husband; I heard he was in the area. He left the village to raise money to get a cure for my sickness, but ne hasn't come back yet. He's a kindhearted man, but I worry he may have gotten involved into something dangerous. Here's a sketch of him," she said holding out a piece of paper with a face on it, "It's a poor likeness at best, but… His name is Dorcas, do you know of him?"

"I'm sorry, I don't think I've seen or heard of him."

"Oh, well if you meet him, please give him a message. Tell him Natalie is looking for him.

"If we see him, we will tell him."

* * *

(Carjiga)

Carjiga and his men had finally found them after hours of searching.

"Here they are," he said, "the band that defeated Miguel."

One of his men came up to him and said, "It seems they've holed up in this ruined fortress. We'll wait 'til it gets dark then…"

"You idiot!" Carjiga butted in, "There are only a few of them, and some are woman! If we waited 'til dark, I'd be a laughingstock, besides we might hurt the women by mistake! I will not be so wasteful!"

"Oh, you're so smart boss."

"We shall avenge Miguel and get some pretty souvenirs to boot. Let's go!"

* * *

(Mark)

Mark was reading more in his journal trying to figure out his past, When Kent ran in yelling, "Bandits, there are bandit just outside!"

"They're a persistent bunch alright. Stay in the fortress, use the front gate to limit the pressure they can put on you, I'll go get the others." Mark replied, running to warn the others. He got there to see that the bandits had used a side entrance to reach the others. They were doing their best to keep the bandits away from Natalie. Mark pulled out one of his tomes and yelled, "Wind!" causing the bandits to be blown away from the others, who quickly finished them off, "Sain," he started giving orders, "Kent is holding off the bandits at the front gate, go help him. Lyn, Florina, stay here and protect Natalie. Wil, start shooting bandits through the holes in the walls. I'll help wherever I'm needed the most." Everyone nodded heading off to their positions. Mark started blasting bandits with his tomes. One of the bandits was about two throw a hand-axe at Lyn, who was busy fighting another bandit.

"Wind!" he yelled as the bandit threw his axe, causing it to go off course.

Turning back to deal with the bandits outside he heard Lyn ask, "You! Tell me, are you Dorcas?"

"How did you know my name?" Mark heard a gruff voice reply.

"Natalie told me. What are you doing with these rouges?"

"I need money…"

"That may be, but joining up with mercenaries?"

"It's the only way to earn gold in these parts. I'll do anything… even this."

"For gold? Anything? Even hurting your own wife? Natalie is here, we are protecting her in this fortress."

"What?! Natalie's… she's here?"

"She was so worried that she came looking for you. Think Dorcas! Is this what Natalie would want?"

"…You're right. I'm done with these bandits. And allow me to repay you for protecting Natalie, let me fight with you." At this, Mark finally turned to see their new ally. It was the same man who threw the hand-axe. Dorcas picked up the axe he threw and turned and threw it at the nearest bandit. It hit him square in the chest as he fell over dead.

"Traitor!" one of the other bandits yelled charging at him. Dorcas easily dodged his attack and made quick work of him too. The other bandits now approached with caution.

"Help!" they heard Kent call out, "The bandits are starting to overwhelm us! We need help!"

"I'll go help them, you guys stay here," Mark said, rushing to help his companions. The bandits had broken a hole in the wall and had Kent, Sain, and Wil surrounded. "Fire!" he yelled, blasting the nearest bandit with a column of flames. He then charged in with his levin sword.

They were able to hold out long enough, as eventually they heard the leader call out, "Retreat, pull back!" with all the bandits retreating from the battle. Mark did a quick scan of everyone. Kent, Sain, and Wil all looked like they were going to drop unconscious any second now.

"You guys get some rest," Mark said, "I'll take first watch." The three agreed to this without questioning him. Lyn, Florina, Dorcas, and Natalie all joined them in the room.

"I'm so sorry, Natalie." Dorcas apologized.

"It's all right; you came to help them in the end." Natalie replied.

"So," Lyn asked, "what do you plan on doing now?"

"Our village is nearby," Dorcas said, "If you're all right with it, I'll take her home tonight, and return in the morning. I wish to join you on your travels. You helped my wife, I owe you."

"Natalie," Lyn asked, "are you okay with this?"

"Yes," she replied, "I have no need to worry for him if he's with you."

"Alright then, you can come, Dorcas,"

"Thank you." Dorcas said, then headed off to his village with his wife.

Mark turned to Lyn and Florina, "You two should get some sleep, I'll take the first watch." They nodded and went to sleep across from the others. Mark pulled out his journal and, using his fire tome for light, began reading. He kept going until he found a picture in between two of the pages. The picture showed Mark, but also the woman and child that had appeared in his dream the other night. The journal entry on that page read, "Today I decided that I would travel to Elibe. I'm not sure how I'm going to get there yet, but this is something I must do. The visions shown to me by the white sage has shown me what happens if I don't go. The death and carnage is something I cannot and will not accept. I only hope that my wife will forgive me. I wish I could take her and Morgan with me, but Morgan is not ready for what this journey will take and I don't want her to loose both her parents. Perhaps one day I will be able to return to them, but until then, I will remain focused on finding a way to Elibe." This shocked Mark, there was so much information revealed in just that short amount of time. He had a wife and child, who was the white sage, and if he wasn't from Elibe, where did he come from. There was too much information to analyze right now. He would have to think on it more tomorrow when his head was clearer.


	7. -Chapter 5: Beyond the Borders-

_-Chapter 5: Beyond the Borders-_

(Mark)

The next morning came too quickly, but before he could start thinking of his discovery last night. Mark and the others heard bandits off in the distance. Even with Dorcas joining them, Mark doubted they could successfully defend themselves from another wave of bandits. So they ran as quickly as they could, hoping to outrun the bandits, but it was no use, the bandits eventually caught up with them. Mark looked around at what might be the last battlefield he would fight on. They were at the edge of a forest. Off in the distance, Mark saw a clearing with a lake, which gave him an idea. The bandits were mere minutes away, and it would be virtually impossible to win this battle. Mark went over to Kent, Sain, Wil, and Dorcas, "I have a plan," he whispered so Lyn wouldn't overhear.

"We're listening," Kent replied. Mark told them what he planned on doing.

"I don't expect any of you to go along with this, but this is the only way any of us are going to make it out of here alive," Mark said after telling them.

"I'm with you," Kent said, shocking Mark.

"So am I," Sain followed.

"And me," Wil said.

"You can count on us," Dorcas finished.

"But, Dorcas, what about your wife?"

"Yes, Natalie will be cross with me, but I still owe you, and I don't intend to break my promise."

"Thank you, everyone," Mark said, both relieved and sorrowful that they had agreed to it. Mark looked for Lyn, and saw that she was scouting off the land. It seemed really convenient, but Mark wasn't going to complain

"Do you really intend on doing this?" Florina asked from behind him.

"Yes, but this will only work if you take Lyn with you across that lake."

"You shouldn't have to go too far," Kent added, "We shouldn't be too far from the Lycian border."

"Lyn isn't going to like this," Florina replied.

"That's why we can't tell her," Mark said, "Come on, I don't want to be in the forest when the fighting starts." They quickly caught up to Lyn, and just in time, the bandits started bursting from out of the forest. There were less of them than Mark expected, only about twelve of them, but with everyone so tired, it just wouldn't be possible for them to fight them off. And Mark knew that there would be more of them coming. "Lyn, Florina," Mark said, nodding to Florina to signify her to go "I want you to fly around to the opposite side of the enemy; maybe if we can surround them we can stand a chance." He only said this as a ruse to keep Lyn from figuring out there plan. When the two of them took off, he said, "Well gentlemen, it's been an honor."

Kent nodded and yelled, "For Caelin!" they all repeated the cry and charged together for one last time.

* * *

(Erk)

Erk had had just about enough with the girl he was supposed to escort. After watching her for only a few days now, it was clear that she was any escorts worst nightmare.

"Oh… We're lost," The girl said, "This makes me so mad!"

"You told me you were certain this was the correct path, Serra," Erk said impatiently.

"What's your point, Erk?" She replied, "What are you trying to say?"

"… I swear, you are NOT the woman I agreed to escort…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I heard someone was needed to escort a frail, Lycian priestess to Ostia…"

"Yes, and I am that priestess."

"Frail? You? Serra, you have no need of any escort to protect you, even the most hardened criminal would flee in terror after five minutes in your company. I'll return your money, gladly; just could you _please_ go on to Ostia alone?"

"NO, you're MY escort, Erk! MINE! You're so clean and tidy. A noblewoman like myself cannot be seen without a proper escort. Your personality is nothing special, but you're nice to look at."

Erk sighed, "I believe that's my line," he then muttered to himself, "and I have to take you all the way to Ostia? I only hope my sanity can endure the journey."

* * *

(Lyn)

Lyn noticed pretty quickly that Florina was flying in the wrong direction. "Uh, Florina, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Just following orders," Florina replied.

"Our orders were to fly around and surround the bandits." Lyn noticed tears springing up in her friend's eyes. "What's the matter?"

"I'm so sorry, Lyn!" Florina sobbed, "Mark knew you wouldn't agree to this, so we didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" Lyn questioned.

"I'm supposed to fly you the rest of the way to Caelin while the others hold off the bandits for as long as possible." Florina choked through tears. "I'm so sorry!"

"No!" Lyn yelled, "We have to go back!" Lyn noticed that they weren't flying to high yet, and just below them were a patch of trees. Without thinking it through, Lyn jumped off the pegasus's back.

"Lyn!" Florina yelled. Lyn tried to grab on to a tree branch on the way down, but her fingers slipped. She cried in pain when she hit the ground. She looked at her legs and saw that one of them was broken. She heard rustling in the bushes; it must have been more bandits. Lyn propped herself on one of the trees, hoping that it was only one or two of them.

"I know I heard something, Erk" A woman said as she stepped out of the bushes. She wore white robes and had pink hair. A young man dressed in red mage robes and had purple hair followed her. "See, what did I tell you." The woman said to the man.

Apparently, they weren't the only ones who heard her scream, because a bandit suddenly burst in from the bushes, "What's this, you in league with the she-devil? I'll take care of you in one swift stroke!" the woman screamed.

"Ah, my ears," the man complained, "Serra, get behind me. You there! See if you can match me!" the bandit charged him, axe held high. "Fire!" the man yelled, blasting the man with flames before he could reach him.

"D-do you mind telling us what is going on?" the woman asked. Lyn filled them in on all that had happened. When she finished the story the woman introduced herself, "I am Serra, a cleric from Ostia. This is Erk, my escort. Now let's heal that broken bone, I'll even do it for free. I know, I'm generous to a fault." This confused Lyn, maybe the pain from her leg was causing her to hear things.

"Go on," Serra said, "praise my generosity. Oh, whatever." She took her staff and held it close to Lyn broken leg. In seconds, the healing was done and Lyn had never felt better.

"That's amazing," she said in awe.

"Aw, thanks. Come now, let's go help your friends."

"Really, you'll help us."

"Of course, it would be a good idea to have a Marquess in my debt."

"Oh, okay then." Just outside of the trees, Florina landed and embraced Lyn.

"I-I'm so sorry, I thought you had died in the fall," she sobbed.

"It's ok, Florina," Lyn reassured her, "come on, we have to go help the others." When they finally reached the battle, Lyn saw how bad it really was, the others were surrounded by bandits. Kent, Sain, and Wil were already exhausted from yesterday's battle. The only ones with any energy left to spare were Dorcas, who hadn't fought too much yesterday, and Mark, who had gone from needing sleep after a few hour, to having an almost limitless supply of energy in only a few days. But even they were running low on steam. "Serra, I need you to heal the others."

"Of course," she sighed.

"Erk, could you use your magic to blast some of the bandits out of the way?" Lyn asked, he nodded, doing as she asked. The sudden blast scared the bandits off for a few seconds

In the center of the circle, Mark said, "Lyn, what are you doing? You need to get out of here!"

"No! I can't leave you here to die!"

"Lyn, this battle is unwinnable, escape while you still can!"

"I disagree with that statement, I have some new friends. Meet Serra and Erk." Serra had just finished healing the others, and just in time to, as the bandits overcame their fear of Erk's magic and closed in on them. With everyone's energy restored, the bandits didn't stand a chance. They quickly finished off the rest of the bandits.

"Thank you for your help," Mark said to Erk and Serra.

"It's no problem, really," Serra replied, "In fact, I wish to travel with you. Caelin is on the way to Ostia, so it's no trouble."

"Thank you, your help is most appreciated." With new comrades in Erk and Serra, the group moves on to Lycia. Where Lundgren awaits them.


	8. -Chapter 6: Blood of Pride-

**AN:** I am so sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out. I need to figure out a schedule or something for this, but I am back now and here is the next chapter.

Now, To Battle!

* * *

 _-Chapter 6: Blood of Pride-_

(Lyn)

It wasn't long before Lyn could see a city in the distance. The size of the place astounded her. It easily dwarfed Bulgar.

"What city is this?" she asked her companions.

"This," Sain responded, "This is Araphen. It's the second biggest city in Lycia."

"The _second_ biggest," she said, shocked that there was a city larger than this one, then she realized that Kent wasn't with them, "Hey, where did Kent go?"

"Oh, he said he was going off ahead to the castle, but… Ah, here he is now." Just as Sain had said, Lyn saw Kent coming their way.

"My lady, Lyndis," he said, "Let us proceed to the castle. They've prepared supplies for us. The Marquess has agreed to aid us on our journey to Caelin."

"He's going to help us?" Lyn asked, thinking it too good to be true.

"Yes, Araphen and Caelin have enjoyed a sturdy friendship for many years. Once I informed the Marquess of our plight, he agreed to lend us his strength."

"Looks like it's all smooth sailing from here," Sain said.

"Never say that," Mark snapped.

"What do you mean?" Sain asked innocently.

"Whenever you say anything like 'what could go wrong', 'it can't get any worse' or 'it's all smooth sailing from here' something bad happens."

Mark's point was proved as just seconds after he finished his sentence, a villager came running through yelling, "Fire! The Castle is on fire!"

"What did you say?!" Sain asked in disbelief.

"You see what I mean!" Mark retorted.

"Out of the way bozo!" a gruff voice shouted. The man who said that pushed the villager aside as everyone else ran. Revealing two more of them, all three of them had swords drawn.

"Who are you?" Lyn questioned, grabbing the Mani Katti.

"You," he didn't answer her question, "your Lyndis, aren't you?" before she knew it she had been grabbed by the man and was being held at sword point. "Time to die sweetheart!"

"No!" both Kent and Mark yelled at the same time, drawing their own weapons out of seemingly thin air, only to be stopped by the other two thugs. They would defeat them easily, but not on time. Lyn couldn't believe this was the end, after going through so much, she would die here. She waited for her death to come, but it never came. Instead, the man fell, an arrow in his back. Lyn saw the one who had shot her attacker. He looked like one of the nomads of the plains, but what would one be doing here?

"Who are you?" she asked, but the man started to walk away, "Wait! Why did you help me?"

"I thought a Sacaean plainswoman was being attacked," he answered.

"Yes, I am from Sacae. I am Lyn, daughter of the Lorca chieftain."

"The Lorca? There were survivors?"

"Yes," she assured.

"You must leave at once," he insisted, "A blaze has started in the castle and it is spreading. Don't be foolish and waste the life I just saved."

"You're from the castle?" Lyn was surprised, "What is happening? How severe is the fire? Is the Marquess safe?"

"The castle is under attack, and the Marquess has been accosted. The man who attacked you was probably one of the marauders. As captain of the guard, it is my responsibility to make sure the Marquess is safe."

"I see…" Lyn said, "All right, we'll help you."

"Why?" he asked, looking shocked.

"These brigands are after me. If they're attacking the castle, it's because they think I'm there. So I must help if I can."

"All right," he accepted, "let's go. I am Rath, of the Kutolah. Our tribes may be different, but I will not abandon a woman of Sacae."

"Thank you Rath. A thousand blessings upon you."

"And a thousand curses upon our enemies."

* * *

(Matthew)

Matthew had been watching the whole ordeal from the shadows. Apparently there was an inheritance dispute going on in Caelin. He knew that the "bandits" attacking the castle were actually men sent by the Marquess of Caelin's brother to kill the Marquess's supposed granddaughter, as he had been sneaking around there for a few days. He decided that he would follow the soldiers here to see what would happen. He was quite intrigued by the development. He decided he would get involved, too see what he could get out of it. The only question was which side of the conflict would give him more, but then he saw _her_ and knew that his choice had been made for him.

* * *

(Mark)

Mark knew they were in trouble when he saw the front gate. It was packed with so many soldiers that it would take an army to break through the defenses. The castle was definitely designed so it could be efficiently defended by only a few men, and there were about twenty of them guarding the front gate alone.

"This isn't going to work," he stated bluntly, "There has to be some other way into the castle, right?"

"We could try the secret passageway," Rath suggested after thinking a few moments.

"Secret passageway?" Mark questioned, surprised he hadn't taken them there first.

"An underground tunnel that leads to the throne room," Rath responded. Everyone agreed that that would be a much better option than trying to burst through the front gate, but upon trying to open the passage way it was revealed to be locked.

"Why is it locked?" Mark asked in dismay, "Isn't it supposed to be a secret passageway for emergencies?"

"They must have known about the tunnel and locked it."

"Then what do we do now?"

"I believe I may be of some assistance," a voice in the shadows claimed. A young man in a red cloak stepped forward.

"Who are you?" Lyn asked the man.

"I'm Matthew," he introduced himself, "I'm a specialist in… acquisitions of all kinds. Would you like to buy my services?"

"We've no need for a thief," Lyn quickly stated before Mark could object."

"Really," he smirked, "then how to you plan on opening the secret passage?" Lyn looked a little frustrated at the thief's comment. "Don't be mad. Hire me. For you, I'll even lower my fee."

"We do need those doors open, Lyn," Serra stated.

"Ok," Lyn sighed, "you're hired."

"All right," Matthew said, popping his knuckles, "Let's get to work." In just a matter of seconds the trapdoor was open.

"That was quick," Mark remarked. (no pun intended)

"Let's go," Kent rushed forward.

"Wait!" Mark cried, "I don't want us rushing forward into a possible trap. Think about it, the passageway was locked meaning they knew about it, but there were no guards. Who knows what could be waiting for us on the other side of the tunnel."

"So what are you suggesting?" Kent asked.

"Someone, should sneak in as quietly as possible, and look around for any enemy troops that might be waiting for us, then come back and tell us."

"I'll do it," Matthew offered.

"No, I don't trust you that much yet. Rath, you know your way around the castle, would you be able to do it?"

"Yes, I will."

"Just one more thing. There is a spell that I've been meaning to try out, but I haven't had the time to. It should really help us if it works."

"If it will help," Rath agreed

"Now, hold still," the nomad did as commanded, " _Terepashi."_

 _Can you hear me?_ Mark projected mentally.

"What was that?!" Rath leapt in surprise, meaning the spell worked.

"That would be the spell. It allows us to communicate telepathically, which should really help us here. That way, you would just call for us telepathically if it's clear."

"It is very… strange," Rath commented, "but I will be fine." He left them to scout out the castle.

 _I have reached the throne room_ Rath communicated _There are only a few guards here. You are clear to come._

"We're clear," Mark told the others. Soon they had taken care of the few guards in the throne room, released the Araphenian soldiers from the prison, and take care of the enemies guarding the gate. The Marquess was happy that the attackers had been taken care of.

"Thank you, Rath," he said, "you may leave us now." Rath left and the Marquess turned to Lyn, "You must be Lyndis, correct."

"Yes, I am glad you are well."

"Do you have a clue as to who the attackers were?"

"We believe they are from my Granduncle Lundgren, who seeks to usurp the title of Marquess."

"That is exactly right. Which means that my castle has been damaged in you petty family inheritance dispute."

"My-my apologies."

"When I heard that Lady Madelyn's daughter was in trouble, I thought to lend my assistance… I find I've changed my mind, I withdraw my offer."

"Marquess Araphen!" Kent blurted out, "You gave me your word, milord!"

"Your name is Kent, is it not? Well Kent, you forgot to mention one important detail. While the girl does resemble Lady Madelyn, she is tainted by Sacaean blood."

"What?!" Lyn cried in outrage.

"Don't you think the Marquess of Caelin would be troubled to meet this… nomadic mongrel?"

"You!..." Sain started to shout, but was interrupted by Kent.

"Sain, hold! My apologies, milord Marquess. If you would please grant us your aid."

"Hm, I hear Marquuess Caelin is ill and I question if he will live long enough to meet the girl. In which case his brother will claim the title. And I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the coming Marquess."

"You scheming!..." Sain started to be interrupted by Kent once again.

"I understand," Lyn said, "Kent, Sain, Mark we will take our leave at once. I am proud of my Sacaean heritage, and I will NOT accept help from those who can't accept that. Let's go perhaps there are _some_ decent folks here."

Soon afterwards they were on the road again, after having bought some more supplies. Kent pleaded, "Milady Lyndis, I beg your forgiveness."

"Why are you apologizing?" she asked.

"I've been so concerned with getting you safely to Caelin, that I failed to take your feelings into account."

"Is that it? Trouble yourself no more. You have put my safety above all else. I have seen that. Hold your head up high and be proud."

* * *

(Rath)

Rath was about to reenter the room after Lyn and the others had left, only to here the Marquess ranting to himself.

"Bah! Arrogant child! If she had shed but a single tear, I would have granted her request. I'll never understand those prideful savages."

That's when Rath revealed himself, "Are those your true feelings to the nomads of Sacae, milord?"

"What? Oh Rath, I didn't see you there. My comments don't reflect on you. You are my captain, I am proud of your service."

This angered Rath, was this the kind of man he had been serving, who would only do things if it served him? "Of course, as long as we bend our knee to you, you care nothing of we are from!" he snapped. "But when an equal comes from my land? What conceit! I'm ashamed I ever served under you!"

"How dare you speak to me like that!" the Marquess roared, "I have treated you well, have I not? I have treated you better than your kind deserves!"

"Only because it kept me in line and loyal, but my service ends here!" Rath stormed off. Leaving to find Lyn.

* * *

(Mark)

They had walked for a few hours now, deciding it best to rest in the next city. That's when Lyn said, "Mark… I never got to thank you for everything you've done for me. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead several times over by now. You've always stood by my side, even in the most difficult times. And for that, I thank you."

"There's no need to thank me," Mark said, "I'm just doing what anyone else would do." He began to think about telling her what he discovered about himself the previous night, but dismissed the thought. She would think he was crazy. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a horse galloping by, with Rath atop it.

"Rath," Lyn said shocked, "What are you doing here?"

"I," he began, "I overheard the Marquess talking to himself. I'm ashamed I ever served under a man as vile as him. Please allow me to join you."

"Of course," she responded, "we would be honored for you to join us."

"Thank you, Lyn of the Lorca." And with that, they were off again. Mark felt a strange familiarity in the situation, but he couldn't place it. He decided he would read more of that journal to find out more of his past. Hoping for some clues.

* * *

 **AN:** And with that, we have reached the end of this chapter. Again, I am so sorry it took me so long to release it. Hopefully it won't take me this long again.

But anyways thank you guys for reading, and until next chapter, go out there, be great, and keep it simple.


	9. -Chapter 7: Siblings Abroad

**AN:** …

Um, hi…

 ***dodges a barrage of hand axes, javelins, throwing knives, and arrows***

I'm sooooooo sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I was suffering from writer's block, and my life doesn't want me to catch a break, and I'm ranting, and you've waited long enough for this chapter.

Now, To Battle!

* * *

 _-Chapter 7: Siblings Abroad-_

(Nils)

Nils had run as quickly as he could to the inn that he and his sister had been staying at, only for his plea to be disregarded by everyone there.

"Please!" he begged to anyone who would listen, "Somebody… somebody please help!"

His begging seemed to have attracted the attention of the innkeeper, who walked over to him and said, "That's enough! Get out now! I want none of your trouble!"

Nils was taken aback by the man's bluntness, "But, sir… Why? You were so kind yesterday…"

"I thought you two were just traveling performers," the man responded, "but if those men are chasing you then you must be up to no good! Now get up and get out! You're a plague on decent folk!"

"But…" Nils started to protest.

"OUT!" the innkeeper roared.

Nils, not wanting to get in any more trouble than he already was, left immediately, hoping that he might find someone willing to help him somewhere.

* * *

(Lucius)

Lucius had watched the whole ordeal from his seat in the inn. He would have helped the boy, but he was only one man and not one for battles.

"Whew…" the innkeeper sighed, "what a mess."

Lucius decided that he would help the boy, if only to get him safely out of the city. He prayed a prayer of protection to the St. Elimine before grabbing his stuff and heading out the door.

* * *

(Lyn)

They had been traveling for a few days with no sign of bandits or Lundgren's mercenaries. It seemed too good to be true. Lyn's suspicions proved correct when they entered the next city. It was much smaller than Araphen. In fact, it was the closest thing to the plains she had seen since they entered the mountains.

"Where are we, Kent?" she asked.

"This is Kathelet," he answered, "If we head due south we'll head into Caelin."

"From here, I'd say we have about ten days till we reach Caelin," Sain estimated, "That is, if we don't run into any delays."

"Stop jinxing us, Sain!" Mark cried.

Just then a young boy came running toward them. When he reached them, he asked, "Pardon me, but… You and your friends don't happen to be mercenaries do you?"

Lyn looked at the boy closely, and she had to admit that there was something strange about him. He had light blue hair with deep brown eyes and his clothes looked like he had been traveling for a while. He certainly didn't look to suspicious, but Lyn felt something off about him.

"And if we are?" she questioned.

The boy got down on his knees and begged, "I need your help!"

Lyn wanted to help the boy, but she knew her grandfather didn't have much time left. "I'm sorry," she told him, "we're in a bit of a rush, is there perhaps someone else you can go to."

"There's no time!" he pleaded, "It's my sister! Some men have taken her away!"

"Your sister?" Sain asked, it seemed like an innocent question, but Sain was the one who asked it, "Did you say your sister's been accosted?"

"Not now Sain," Kent scolded.

"My sister was taken by some cruel, awful men. I… I don't know what I'll do without Ninian."

"Milady Lyndis," Sain said, "We must help the boy."

"Nonsense," Kent proclaimed, "We haven't the time. If the Marquess is as ill as we've heard, we must proceed."

"Mark," Lyn asked, "what's your say in this?"

"I'll go along with whatever you want to do," he responded. She deeply appreciated his loyalty in that moment, though she was still upset about what had happened on the Lycian border.

"I…" she decided what they would do; she turned to the boy "We will help you."

"Th-thank you," the boy said, "Thank you so much."

"Will you lead us to the men who took your sister," Lyn asked.

"Yes," he replied, "but they're really tough, so be careful,"

"Leave them to us," Mark assured, "we're pretty tough ourselves. By the way, what is your name?"

"Oh, my name. My name is Nils."

"Okay Nils, lead the way."

* * *

(Mark)

There was something familiar about Nils, but Mark just couldn't figure out why. He wasn't given much time to think though as some ruff looking people approached them.

The one in the lead stared at the boy and chuckled, "Found him!" he started to close in on Nils, "C'mon now, it's back to Nergal with you."

"N-no" the boy shivered at the name Nergal, who Mark assumed was the leader of these bandits, "Let Ninian go!"

"We ain't supposed to be killin' ya," the bandit threatened, "but we can sure rough ya up!" The man stepped toward Nils, a blade drawn, but before he could do anything, Lyn stepped in front of the boy, the Mani Katti in her hand.

"Who do you think you are?!" the bandit yelled.

"Let the boy's sister go," she threatened. Mark quickly assessed the situation and counted that there were about a dozen men facing them. Most were just swordsmen or axe wielders, but he noticed a few of them carried tomes with them, but unlike the tomes he and Erk used, these were black and purple. Erk grimaced at the sight of them, but Mark wasn't sure what to make of them.

"Ah, so you want ta help the kid, huh? What a shame, you're gonna die for somethin' that don't concern ya."

"You think so do you?" she retorted, "Do we look so meek to you? I think you're in for a terrible shock."

Mark looked back and saw that everyone, even Florina, had their weapons drawn. He summoned his Levin Sword to his hand, something he had learned he could do from his journal, the book was teaching him more than just about his past that was for sure.

"Stupid girl," the bandit said, "you're gonna regret those words. Take 'em down boys!"

At his command the enemy mages unanimously yelled, "Flux!" forming dark spheres of energy in front of each of them before firing them.

"Scatter!" Mark yelled, everyone dived away from the powerful spells before they could reach.

"Thunder!" Mark summoned, hoping to take out some of the mages before they became overwhelmed.

"Flux," his target calmly commanded. The dark sphere reappeared and absorbed the electricity flowing from Mark's hand before hitting him dead on. He was blasted back several feet and hit the ground hard before his body could even register the pain. He could faintly here Lyn calling out for him, but everything was fuzzing.

Suddenly he felt a warm comforting sensation and he finally was able to get back up. Serra had been healing him. He saw that all the bandits had been killed. Had he really been unconscious for that long?

"Mark, are you alright?" Lyn quickly asked him.

"I'm fine," he managed to grunt. His whole body was still sore from the attack.

"What were you thinking casting a spell at a dark mage?!" Erk yelled at him.

"Didn't know you cared about me, Erk," he teased, "I was hoping I could take them out before we were overwhelmed by a barrage of spells."

"Dark magic absorbs anima magic," Erk stated.

"Oh," Mark said, he hadn't known that. He didn't even know about dark magic. Was that because of his amnesia, but not only did he know about anima magic after his amnesia, he could use it. So why didn't he know about dark magic.

"I'm glad to see you are alright, sir," a voice said. Mark turned to see a person dressed in blue robes with long blonde hair.

"Oh, thank you, Miss…," Mark trailed off, not knowing the person's name.

"I am a male, sir," the person grimaced.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I meant know offence!" Mark apologized.

"Mark," Lyn introduced, "this is Lucius, he helped us take care of those shamans while you were unconscious."

"Well then, I thank you," he thanked the man, "May I ask why you are here?"

"Of course," Lucius complied, "I was in the inn when that young boy," he gestured to Nils, "came in pleading for help. The innkeeper was afraid to get involved and chased him out."

"I wasn't afraid of him," Nils stated, "I'm used to being treated that way."

"That's awful," Lyn gasped.

"Indeed," Lucius nodded, "so I decided that I would help the boy. I'm not much of a fighter, but I hoped to get him out of the city."

"Well thank you again for your help," Mark said.

"It was my pleasure," Lucius returned, "would you allow me to continue helping you?"

"Are you sure?" Lyn questioned, "We are constantly on the run, and there will be much danger?"

"Yes," the man confirmed, "I am quite sure. I am… looking for someone. Perhaps I will find him while with you."

Mark could tell that there was more to it than he was letting on, but he decided not to pry. For now, they needed to find Nils's sister.

It wasn't too long before they found them. They were based in a small fort to the south of the village. From what he could see there were only a handful of guards, but there could be more inside. Matthew had disappeared some time on the way there. Mark wasn't sure what to make of that though.

"Okay here's the plan," Mark told the group, "Rath, Wil, Erk, and I will take out the outside guards from a distance. Kent, Sain, Florina, and Lyn, you need to take that gate as soon as the guards are down, we can bottleneck them there and push our way through the fort. Serra, heal as needed. Lucius and Dorcas, you stay back with Nils and keep him safe."

"No," Nils stated, "I want to help you."

"Nils, you just need to stay safe. We'll protect you."

"No, I can help," the boy stated, "I'm a bard, we can be pretty helpful to have around."

"He's right," Lyn told him, "he played his song for us back there. It's very invigorating."

"All right then," Mark said, a little wary, "you stay with Serra, Dorcas, Lucius, you two protect them."

Everything had gone according to plan, and before long they had reached the leader. He was dressed similarly to the shamans they had fought before.

"Who are you supposed to be?" he said on seeing them, "playing heroes in some foolish knightly romance? You may think you're helping the children, but you are only rushing to your doom! Flux!"

He fired the dark orb of energy continuously as they dogged his attacks, but he was only one man and Lyn quickly reached him and slashed him across his chest.

"You… are too late," the man wheezed, "you were only… striking… at air… the girl… is long… gone…"

"N-no," Nils stuttered, "sh-she has to be around here somewhere."

"Is this the girl you're looking for?" a young man's voice called to them. They turned to see a young man in blue light armor and cape that contrasted his bright red hair. In his arms was a young girl who must have been Nils's sister, she had the same teal hair and white skin the boy had. Behind them were two people, a man and a woman, in armor similar to Kent's and Sain's, but a bit more grandeur.

"Ninian!" Nils cried, running over to her.

"She's fine," the new arrival stated, "she's just unconscious."

"Who are you?" Mark asked.

"I am Eliwood, my father is the Marquess of Pherae," the man introduced himself, "and these are my retainers, Marcus and Isadora."

"Thank you," Lyn said gratefully, "I am Lyndis, I'm the Marquess of Caelin's granddaughter."

"Marquess Caelin?" the man behind Eliwood (Marcus) questioned, "forgive me if I find that hard to believe."

"I understand," Lyn said and began retelling what had happened so far.

"and that is my story," she finished, "I know it's hard to believe, but…"

"No, I believe you," Eliwood stated.

"You do?"

"When I first saw you, you seemed to be just a daughter of the plains folk, but I see the resemblance now. You have your grandfather's eyes."

"You know my grandfather?"

"He's a good friend of my father's. I also know that the proud people of Sacae tell no lies."

"Yes," she beamed, "thank you for believing me. I would not expect a Lycian noble to be so courteous to a Sacaean nomad."

"It's no problem," Eliwood stated, "is there anything else I can assist you with. I may be able to help you on your way to Caelin."

"Thank you for the kind offer," Lyn said, "but this is my fight."

"I understand," Eliwood nodded, "I will be in the area for a few more days. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Eliwood," Lyn said.

* * *

(Ninian)

When Ninian woke up, the first thing she saw was her brother Nils kneeling over her.

"Ninian," he hugged her, "you're awake."

"Nils," she said, "is that you?"

"Uh-huh," he helped her up, "These people helped me." Ninian saw many people behind Nils. Knights, nomads, mages a pegasus knight, a healer, and some others, but the ones that stuck out the most to her, were two young men towards the middle of the group. One of them had silver hair and a black and purple cloak and radiated an aura of power, but Ninian wasn't sure what it was. The second wore blue light armor and had red hair. There didn't seem to be anything special about him, but Ninian thought that he looked quite handsome. She blushed at the thought and quickly brushed it aside.

"I'm Eliwood," the red haired man introduced himself, "I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Th-thank you," she stuttered, "I am called Ninian. My brother, Nils, and I are traveling performers."

"Both of you," the cloaked man said, "your brother's a musician. May I ask what you do?"

"I… I dance," she answered. Just then a knight in green armor walked over to her.

"A dancer you say…" he began to say, only to be wacked upside the head by a knight in red armor.

"Not now, Sain!" the knight reprimanded.

"A dancer?" the cloaked man continued, "your clothes don't look like that of a dancer's."

"Ninian dances to honor life," Nils explained, "it's special… sacred."

"A sacred dance…" the man mused.

"The dance I preform while we travel is just a normal dance," she told them, "My other dance though holds power…, but I twisted my ankle when they caught me. I won't be able to dance for you. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," the red haired man said, "we're just glad to see you're out of harm's way."

"Thank you," she said, "thank you all."

"While I'd like to take credit for saving you," the cloaked man said, "Eliwood was the one who saved you." He gestured to the red haired man.

"Oh, I-I thank you," she stuttered.

"It's fine, I just wanted to help," he told her.

"There must be some way I can repay you," she said.

"Hm…" he thought, "Well, how about this. When your leg heals why don't you come show me one of your dances?"

"A dance?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to sound too forward."  
"No, it's not that," she told him, "It's just… you saved my life, yet all you want in return is a dance."

"I told you before, I only wanted to help," he said.

"Alright then, I'd be glad to," she told him.

"It's a deal then. I look forward to it."

"Me too."

* * *

 **AN:** Wow, that was a long chapter. I guess that's what happens when you introduce 4 (technically 6) new characters. Yes one of the pairings is Eliwood and Ninian. I always liked the two of them as a couple. As for the other pairings… that's for me to know and you to find out. Just so you know I will not be writing Chapter 7x: A Black Shadow, because it doesn't really add much to the plot. At best I could use it for is character development for Ninian, Mark, and possibly Florina, and introduce Hector and Oswin, but like I said earlier, it wouldn't add much to the plot and I could easily do that in other chapters.

And for those of you currently reading my other story. The next chapter should hopefully be out by next week.

Until next chapter, go out there, be great, and keep it simple.


	10. -Interlude: Some Needed Rest-

**AN:** Hello my fellow FanFictioners, and welcome back to this story. I know I said that I wasn't doing the side quest chapter, but I decided to write an interlude here. Originally I was going to write here that this chapter wasn't plot important and that you could skip it if you wanted to, but then I started writing and it became relevant to the plot, so yeah, you're going to want to read this.

Now to respond to reviews. From now on I'll only put my response to the review here.

Guest: Hm, I don't recall ever saying he was Robin, I said he _might_ be. And two things, one, do you mind sending me a PM as to why you don't like the idea, and two, if you really don't like what I'm writing, then you should go read something you do like. Trust me when I say that I have found plenty of stories that I didn't like, but instead of complaining about it I just read something I did like.

Sorry you guys had to read that.

Now, To Battle!

* * *

 _-Interlude: A Needed Rest-_

(Mark)

It had taken some convincing, but the others decided that they were going to rest and restock in Kathelet before making the rest of the trip. Mark took this time to get to the members of Lyndis's Legion better. The first thing he noticed was that Matthew had returned.

"Hey, Matthew," he called for him.

"Well hello, Mark," the thief responded, "How may I be of service?"

"Where were you yesterday?" Mark cut to the chase.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Matthew said.

"Yesterday, during the battle, you were gone. Where did you go?" he asked.

"I was digging around for information," Matthew told him, "and I believe you'll be interested in what I found."

"It'll have to wait. I'm sure Lyn will want to hear what you've discovered as well," Mark said.

"I understand. Where is Lady Lyndis anyways?"

"I believe she is speaking with Kent and Sain over at the local diner. This way."

A few moments later they arrived at the diner to see Kent, Sain, and Lyn sitting at one of the tables. Mark could see several other members of their group at different tables as well. Perhaps most surprisingly was Ninian and Nils were sitting with Eliwood.

"How can I help you?" a waitress asked him.

"We're with those three," he said, pointing at Lyn and the cavaliers.

"Ah yes, right this way," she led them to the table and dragged up some chairs.

"Mark, Matthew, what are you doing here?" Lyn asked.

"Lady Lyndis," Matthew began, "I've been sniffing around for information, and found quite an interesting tidbit for my troubles."

"Yes, what is it?" Lyn questioned,

"First, about the Marquess's illness. He is really unwell. He's been bedridden for nigh on three months. I've heard an interesting rumor about his condition though. The people believe that someone has been poisoning the Marquess…"

"He's being poisoned?!" Lyn practically shouted. Mark understood why, after losing her parents and almost everyone she knew to poison, she had some bitter memories about it.

"And this someone… well, the people are too afraid to mention a name. However, they say that, as soon as the Marquess became ill, a certain noble took control of the castle as if it were his own. I fed an innkeeper some gold, and he fed me a name. Marquess Caelin's own brother, Lord Lundgren."

"How can this be?!" Lyn questioned, "How can they allow him to get away with this? The villagers know he's the one poisoning my grandfather, and yet no one raises a hand against him? Why?"

"They are afraid, and lack proof," Mark told her, "The whisperings of the common man mean nothing."

"That's the unfortunate truth, and any of the Marquess's retainers who could provide some sort of credence to these rumors have not been seen since the illness began."

"You're saying they've been silenced," Mark assumed. Matthew nodded grimly.

"Well," Sain said, trying to lighten the mood, "it could be worse."

"Sain, quit jinxing us!" Mark groaned.

"The worst news is yet to come… An imposter's appeared, claiming to be the Marquess's granddaughter. At least, that's what Lundgren is saying to anyone who'll listen."

"What does this mean?" Lyn questioned.

"It means that people are waiting for two traitorous knights and a baseborn child to lay claim to Castle Caelin," Mark explained.

"But… but that… it can't be!" Sain said worriedly.

"Traitors, us? Ridiculous!" Kent shouted.

"He says… I'm an imposter?" Lyn asked.

"I'm afraid so," Matthew said grimly, "Do you have anything that proves your lineage?"

"No, my mother didn't bring anything of Lycia when she joined the Lorca."

"Milady," Sain perked up, "Marquess Araphen himself remarked at your resemblance to Lady Madelyn. Your face is your proof."

"No," Kent shook his head, "they'll say we found a lookalike somewhere… We're seen as betrayers of our knightly vows. Our word means nothing. Our only hope is to see Marquess Caelin himself."

"We must hurry, if not my grandfather…" Lyn trailed off, then shook her head, "No! I must see him! With my last breath if need be."

"It won't come to that," Mark told her, "I'll make sure of it. For now, there is another problem we must address. The other territories will support Lundgren in this affair. We will have enough problems with just the troops Lundgren has. We can't afford the other territories' troops on top of that."

"I believe I may be able to be of some assistance with that," they turned to see that Eliwood had walked over to them, "I may be able to convince them to stay out of Caelin's affairs, but this means that I will not be able to aid you in any way, but as a friend, I will pray for your safety."

"Thank you, Eliwood," Lyn said, "I cannot thank you enough. I won't waste the opportunity you've given to me."

"I'm just glad I can help," Eliwood stated, "And there is one other thing."

"Nils and I have come to a decision," Ninian began, "I am of no help to you in this state and Lord Eliwood has offered me and Nils his protection, so I will be staying with Lord Eliwood."

"But I'm going to keep traveling with you," Nils said, "I still need to repay you for helping Ninian. Once we defeat Lundgren I will head to Pherae to stay with Ninian and Lord Eliwood." Mark noticed a problem with that plan though…

"But you can't go alone," Lyn protested.

"I'll take him," Mark spoke up, "I've been reading some things in my journal that indicates I might be from Pherae," It was a lie that Mark regretted telling, but he had noticed the two siblings giving him odd looks from time to time. He wasn't sure what it was for, but he wanted to find out, and he was going to be up to his neck in work once they set out from Kathelet.

The siblings exchanged a look, before Ninian said, "Thank you Lord Mark."

"It's nothing, really," he told them, "and please, call me Mark, I'm no noble."

"Of course Lo… Mark," Ninian said before walking holding Eliwood's hand. Mark shot the red-haired noble a smirk. Eliwood's face turned a similar shade as his hair. He was going to have fun teasing those two.

"I hope this proves my loyalty to this," Matthew said.

"The jury's still out on that one," Mark told him, "Next time, tell us before you run off."

"Of course," Matthew nodded, "that being said, there is something that I need to take care of."

"All right then," Mark shrugged, "Just be quick about it. We will need to leave soon."

Matthew bowed, which Mark found strange, then took off. Leaving Mark, Lyn, Nils, Kent, and Sain at the table.

"And since we will be leaving soon," Mark said, "I will go gather everyone else."

Mark began with the ones in the diner. The only ones not there were Matthew, who had just left, and Florina. He told them all to finish eating and they would be leaving soon. Then he began to search for Florina in the city.

* * *

(Matthew)

Matthew quickly left the diner and headed towards the outskirts of the city. He checked his surroundings to make sure no one had followed him and went inside. Waiting for him was a young man around Lord Eliwood's age, with blue hair and matching armor.

"Milord, I have news about the Caelin inheritance dispute," Matthew told him.

"The long-lost granddaughter thing right?" he asked, "Which way does my brother lean?"

"From what I've seen, he will back the granddaughter's claim. The Marquess's brother is far too ambitious. If left alone he may cause us trouble before too long."

"Sound advice," he agreed.

"My return is going to be delayed a bit. Would you mind letting your brother know?"

"What am I, you're messenger boy now?"

"You always did have a good sense of humor. I'd better be off though before Mark comes to hunt me down. Don't forget my message." With that, he left the house to rejoin the Legion.

* * *

(Mark)

Mark suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason. He was still searching for Florina around Kathelet, with no luck. How many places were there to hide in such a small town? Suddenly he heard a commotion just outside the market. He followed the noise until he found Florina cornered by a man who appeared to be a knight due to his armor. Said armor was a rich purple and a fancy lance was strapped to his back, indicating that this man was most likely nobility. His hair was brown and combed back, and his posture radiated arrogance.

"…Now come with me sweet heart," the man was saying, "I promise that you will enjoy my company."

"N-no, I-I'm f-fine," the pegasus knight stuttered.

" _Terepashi_ ," Mark muttered, activating the telepathy spell.

 _Florina can you hear me?_ he transmitted.

The girl was startled at first then returned, _Mark, is that you?_

 _Yes,_ he confirmed, _when I say now, I want you to run._

He grabbed his Wind tome and muttered the incantation. The spell began to levitate a small rock in the midst of the crowd of people at the market. He learned he could do that from his journal. Was he some kind of researcher before he lost his memory?

"Come my dear, and I will show you my grand battle prowess in the arena as the heir of Marquess Laus," the knight gloated. Mark recognized Laus as the home territory of Kent and Sain. This man was the Marquess's son? That did not bode well.

 _Now!_ he transmitted as he launched the stone at the knight's head.

"Hey who threw that!?" the man yelled in indignation, turning his back on Florina who instantly ran, "Whoever through that is going to pay!" he yelled at the forming audience.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down," a deep voice said. Mark turned to see that the speaker was a man in thick orange armor and also had brown hair, but unlike the so called "heir of Marquess Laus" his posture was upright and showed years of experience. He was holding a lance at his side and, if Mark had to guess, he knew how to use it.

"Calm down!" the man in purple yelled in rage, "Who do you think you are telling me what to do?! I have been humiliated!"

"And you will be even more so if you do not calm down," the knight in orange threatened.

"Why you!" the man grabbed his lance from his back before charging the knight, who simply sidestepped and swept the man's feet from under him with his lance. Mark had to hold back a chuckle at this, as did many in the audience,

"Stand down," the knight ordered, his lance at the man's throat.

The man glared, but surprisingly had the sense to surrender. The knight let him get up.

"You will pay for this insolence!" the man threatened, "I, Erik, son of the Marquess of Laus shall see to it!" and with that, he took off running. Mark walked over to the knight, who was shaking his head.

"Thank you sir," he told him, "You made my plan work out better than I intended."

"You threw the rock?" he asked, an eyebrow risen.

"Guilty as charged," Mark rubbed the back of his head.

"But you were nowhere near where the rock was thrown."

"I used some wind magic to throw it," he explained.

"That requires quite a bit of skill," the knight said, "I would ask if you are a knight of Kathelet, but you wear no symbol."

"I wish I could answer you," he told the knight, "but I am currently suffering from amnesia and cannot remember my past."

"Ah, my apologies, I meant no offense."

"It's fine, you didn't know," Mark said, "Well, I had better get back to my group. I don't want to keep them waiting. Thank you again."

"Yes," the knight said, "perhaps we will meet again. I am Oswin, a knight of Ostia."

"It has been a pleasure, Oswin. I am Mark of… well, I'm not sure where."

"I hope you find out eventually," Oswin said.

"Me too…" Mark trailed off, turning and walking back towards the diner.

 _Me too…_

* * *

 **AN:** And there is the end of the chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Until next chapter, go out there, be great, and keep it simple.


	11. -Chapter 8: Vortex of Strategy-

**AN:** Hello my fellow FanFictioners, welcome to the next chapter of this story. So I've realized a couple of things. One was I missed _so many_ opportunities last chapter. I could have done more with Kent and Sain, or Florina, or Wil, or Lyn, or even Eliwood.

The other thing I noticed was that the review I ranted on last chapter was from the second prologue, so I kinda doubt the person read that and I kinda feel stupid now.

Now, To Battle!

* * *

 _-Chapter 8: Vortex of Strategy-_

(Mark)

After a few days ride (they had rented some horses from Kathelet and each horse they had held two passengers) they arrived at the Caelin border, there were two large hills with a small valley in between.

"Look Mark," Lyn's voice dragged him away from the landscape, "the mountains seem so far away now. We've come such a long way…"

"Milady Lyndis, Mark," Kent called to them, "we've arrived at the Caelin border."

"At this rate I'd say we'll be at Castle Caelin within two days," Sain said cheerily.

"Sain!" Mark said in frustration, "How many times have I told you to quit jinxing us?!"

"Ah," Nils suddenly called out, "Lady Lyn, don't move!" The four of them turned back to look at the boy, before what looked like a giant arrow imbedded itself into the ground right where Lyn was about to step.

"What in- Where did this bolt come from?" Lyn asked in shock. From the angle of the bolt, Mark estimated that it came from directly behind the eastern hill.

"No!" Kent shouted in fear, "they have a ballista!"

"Lundgren is getting serious," Sain said, "if he is deploying siege weapons."

"Dorcas, Matthew, Nils, Erk, Lyn," Mark began, "dismount for now. You're better off on the ground. Florina, can you ride your pegasus on the ground like a normal horse?"

"I think so," Florina answered.

"Do you think you can keep up with the other riders?"

"Yes, I should be able to," she responded.

"Then Kent, Sain, Florina, and I will meet the enemy at the valley, where we will be able to bottleneck them, Rath and Wil, you will ride directly behind us, shoot any enemy you can, the rest of you will have to catch up. Matthew and Lucius, I need you to sneak around the eastern hill and take out that ballista, we don't have time to set up _Terepashi_ so once you do, Lucius send up a flare as a signal. Once we see it, Florina I want you to take Lyn and Dorcas around to behind the enemy lines. We're going to surround them. Serra, Nils, heal and play at your discretion. Kill only if you have too."

The members of Lyndis's Legion all nodded, as the riders charged to the valley. Just as planned, they met the enemy troops, Mark estimated that there were about 25 of them, at the valley, limiting the amount of enemies they would have to fight at once and the ballista would have a much more difficult time aiming at them. Once the legion's foot troops arrived, they began to switch the front lines, the riders allowed the others to pass them and get healed by Serra, who was being boosted by Nils. Before long, they saw Lucius's signal in the air. Florina took to the air, grabbing Lyn and Dorcas and dropping them off behind the enemy. Now surrounded and outnumbered, the leader of the enemy forces surrendered.

"What should we do with them, Mark?" Kent asked, "We won't be able to watch over this many prisoners and still be able to fight against Lundgren's forces."

He had a point. Up until now they had only fought bandits and hadn't needed to worry about prisoners. Mark had been so worried about making it to Caelin central that he hadn't thought about taking prisoners. Thankfully an idea came to him.

"How many of you knew who you were fighting?" Mark asked the prisoners. Slowly, each of the still conscious soldiers raised their hands.

"Who do you think you were fighting?" Mark continued.

Everyone was quiet until the leader spoke up, "We were fighting against Lyndis, granddaughter of Marquess Caelin and rightful heir to the throne. We've known that Lundgren has been lying from the start, but there is little we could do. He has spies everywhere and is threatening all of our families."

Everyone was outraged when they heard than. Lyn shouted, "That blackheart! Resorting to blackmail! May he never know Mother Earth's sweet embrace!"

"We will make sure your families are safe," Mark assured the soldiers, "For now, until we defeat Lundgren, no one will be allowed to send any messages. And if you betray us," Mark's took a darker tone, "I can guarantee you will spend the rest of your life behind bars."

With that said, Mark left to prepare a strategy to take the nearby fort. With many of the soldiers from said fort now on his side, they might be able to siege it, but that would take precious time that they didn't have and Mark wasn't sure how many more soldiers were in the fort. They couldn't go around the fortress because the forces inside would just follow them and surround them when they reached Castle Caelin, or sooner. But then it hit him, the troops at the fort wouldn't know that the others had joined them. The plan he had in mind was risky, but if they could pull it off… he searched for the leader of the soldiers. He found him tending for the wounded.

"Ah, Sir Mark," the man greeted, "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Michael; I trained with Kent and Sain."

"Oh, really?" Mark asked, surprised.

"Yes," Michael confirmed, "I was the top of our class, with Kent and Sain close behind me, though they have definitely gotten better since then."

"That's probably from all the fighting we've done on the way here," Mark explained, "I have a plan, and you are probably the best person here to talk to about what I have in mind." Mark told the soldier the details of his plan.

"That might work, but there are some things that I should tell you before we go through with this. One is that Captain Yogi, the man in charge of the fort, is loyal to Lundgren, and he ordered us to kill you."

"Hm, that complicates things…" Mark pondered the new problem for a moment, "Ah, I got it!" Mark told Michael his idea.

"Yes, that could work," the soldier said, "Though you're probably going to want to tell the others your plan though first."

"Right," Mark said. He was not looking forward to Kent's reaction.

* * *

"What!" Kent yelled at the tactician moments later.

"Trust me Kent," Mark said, "this plan will work."

"And what would happen if the soldiers betray us inside the fort? What then?!"

"We won't," Michael defended his men, "my men are loyal to Marquess Caelin."

"And why are you so sure about that?" Kent questioned.

"Because it was us who told the villagers Lundgren's plan," Michael stated, "He had thought that he had covered up his tracks, but I noticed him poison the Marquess's drink, so I dug a little deeper and found that Marquess was plotting to take over Caelin by killing the Marquess and Lady Lyndis. Me and my men were able to tell the people, but the Lundgren found out and started to threaten our families. That's not the worst part though."

"What else is there?" Mark asked, worried.

"He's working with someone. I think the man's name is Ephidel. Apparently, there is some big conspiracy going on to over-through Ostia. I'm not sure how many other territories are in on it though."

"How did you find this out?" Mark asked.

"I was on guard duty when I saw Lundgren leave his chambers," Michael's face darkened considerably, "My family died years ago, so I thought Lundgren didn't have anything he could threaten me with, because I would gladly give my life for Lord Hausen, but I was made, and he started threatening my soldiers and their families to keep me in line."

"What?" Kent asked, shocked.

"This isn't looking too great," Mark bemoaned. Why couldn't anything be simple? First he woke up with amnesia, then Lyn ended up being heiress to Caelin, then Ninian and Nils started giving him strange looks like they know something about him that he himself doesn't, and now there is some big conspiracy going on in Lycia. Well, one thing at a time, he supposed. Right now, they had a fort to deal with.

* * *

Mark now stood, bound, before Captain Yogi, one of Lundgren's most trusted men.

"Lieutenant Michael," the man spoke, "did I not order you to kill Lyndis and her allies?"

"Yes, captain," Michael answered, "But I-"

"Then why," Yogi cut him off, "did you bring me this… Sacaean mongrel," Lyn growled at the name, "these two traitorous knights," was he really going to keep up the charade, "and a nobody before me?"

"Sir, I thought-" Michael was cut off again.

"Don't think!" Yogi roared, "That is not your job! Your job is to follow orders! Which, as of lately, you haven't done a very good job at!"

"Sir, wouldn't it be better if we were to publicly execute them," the soldier suggested, though he seemed to struggle to say it, "It would be a great show of force as to what will happen, should anyone try to cross Marquess Lundgren."

Yogi seemed to ponder the idea for a moment, before saying, "Since you brought them to me, we will publicly execute them as a great show of force. No one will dare cross Marquess Lundgren after that. And I will get a promotion, a Commander- no, General Yogi. That has a nice ring to it."

"Of course, sir," Michael sighed, like he'd been expecting Yogi to say something like that. Mark just inwardly scoffed at Yogi's behavior. Seriously, how clichéd could he get.

" _Everyone in position?"_ Mark transmitted. He winced as his head was filled with their responses, one of the downsides of _Terepashi_ , only the caster could hear the others thoughts.

 _"On my mark"_

" _You just had to use that phrase, didn't you"_ Sain joked, but Mark ignored him.

" _3"_ Mark saw the members of Lyn's Legions in the room tense.

" _2"_ Mark prepared to summon his Levin Sword to his hands.

" _Now!"_ Mark, Lyn, Kent, and Sain all broke out of their loosely tied bonds. Mark summoned his Levin sword as the others were tossed their own weapons. Mark pointed his blade at the enemy leader.

"Surrender, Captain Yogi," Mark demanded, "Right now we have troops all-throughout your base. You are surrounded and outmatched, and quite possibly outnumbered. If Lieutenant Michael is anything to go by, few soldiers are as loyal to Lundgren as you think. Surrender and we will spare your life."

To Mark's, and everyone else's, surprise, Captain Yogi just laughed at Mark's demands, "You think you've won, boy? I suspected that Lieutenant Michael and his troops would turncoat, so I kept the troops loyal to Marquess Lundgren here in the fort. Instead of being surrounded like you said, we have you surrounded. And as for being outmatched, we will just see about that won't be."

Mark's blood ran cold. He fired a blast of lighting from his Levin Sword, which was block by Yogi's lance.

" _Everyone, status report, now!"_ Mark transmitted. For a few spine-chilling seconds, no one responded.

Until Rath replied _"We are fine. Some enemy forces caught us off-guard, but we have it under control now."_

Similar reports started to fill his head. He began blasting enemies with electricity whenever there was an opportunity.

That is until Nils transmitted _"I need help, we're being overwhelmed!"_

"Just perfect…" Mark muttered sarcastically _"Can anyone go help Nils? He's in the southwest corner of the fort"_

" _I'm on my way"_ Dorcas replied. Sighing in relief, Mark turned back to the battlefield to find it was almost over. He saw Lyn decapitate a tiring Captain Yogi as Michael, his men, Kent, and Sain defeated the rest of the enemy forces.

" _We're okay"_ Mark sighed in relief once again when he heard Nils's transmission _"though I'm not sure if we would have made it if Dorcas hadn't shown up in time."_

The other members of the Lyn's Legion reported that they were okay, but many of the Caelin knights fighting with them had died. Mark's spirit dropped, people, good people who had trusted him with their lives, were now dead because he hadn't thought of what if the troops in the fort were loyal to Lundgren. He thought back to the Bern mountains, when they met Dorcas, he said that he had resorted to the bandits because it was "the only way to make a living" in that area. How many of the bandits there were like Dorcas? How many people who were just trying to survive died by Mark's orders?

"We did it," Mark told them, "we took the fort."

"Mark," Kent said, "there is something troubling me."

"Yes?" Mark asked.

"Our opponents," Kent started, "most of them were newer soldiers. We" he gestured to Sain and Michael, "trained with many of them."

"They were traitors who joined Lundgren," Sain said, "They deserved what they got."

"No!" Mark snapped, "Never speak that way, Sain! Life is precious. Any death is a waste." Mark stormed off before Sain could say anything.

* * *

(Lyn)

Lyn was shocked by Mark's sudden outburst, and judging by the looks on everyone else's faces, they all were.

"I'll go talk to him," she told the others. She ran after him.

"Mark, wait!" Lyn called out.

"What is it, Lyn," Mark sighed, "I just want to be alone right now."

"What's going on?" Lyn asked, "It's not like you to snap at someone like that."

Mark sighed again, "The other members of the legion are fine, but about half of Michael's men died because I didn't think that the troops at the fort would be loyal to Lundgren."

"Don't blame yourself for that, "Lyn chided, playfully hitting his arm, "You couldn't have known that. There probably would have been more people dead without your plan."

"Thanks Lyn," Mark said, "I needed that."

"Anytime Mark," Lyn told him, "Let's get back to the others."

"Yeah," he agreed.

* * *

(Lundgren)

Lundgren was outraged. How was that… that _Sacaean mongrel_ beating him? She should have died long before she crossed the Lycian border.

"Ephidel!" Lundgren yelled, "How could you let that girl and those two pathetic excuses for knights get this far!"

"Ah, milord," Ephidel said in that monotone voice of his, "I have only underestimated them. It won't happen again."

"It better not," Lundgren threatened, "Or the deal is off and you won't have my support in overthrowing Ostia. If you can't kill just one girl you have no chance against Ostia."

"Of course sir," Ephidel said, before teleporting away.

* * *

 **AN:** Another longer chapter and considering that I used over half of this chapter's original dialogue last time, I think I did a pretty good job with it. I decided to have some of Caelin's knights fight with Lyn because, those rumors (well it's not really rumors, but you know what I mean) about the Marquess being poisoned had to have started somewhere and you can't tell me that the people are against Lundgren yet _all_ of Caelin's knights are with him.

Anyways, until next time, go out there, be great, and keep it simple.


	12. Rewriting

Hello, sorry it's been so long since I've updated this story. I will be rewriting this story and I'll put another AN when it's up. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Keep it simple.


	13. On Hold

**AN:** I am currently putting this story on hold due to the fact that I really need to get everything settled with several new ideas flooding my head for the past two months. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Keep it simple


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